My Favorite Things

As anyone who regularly reads this drivel knows, our family has been focusing on simplifying and living with less this past year. That said, we thoroughly enjoy our material possessions, and have been thrilled with how much more joy we get from them now that we don't have so many other things cluttering up our home.

Over the next month, I'm going to put up posts with lists of each of our favorite things (mine, Husband's, Bear's, and Bug's). If I had a real blog or more than one reader or was Oprah, I'd be giving this shit away or something. But since this crap-fest is low-key, you'll just have to settle for reading about it.

So here are some of my favorite things, in no particular order:

My Kindle

I've already touted the joys of the e-reader, but a "favorite things" post wouldn't be complete without mentioning it. I just love being able to toss it (um, gently) in my bag and head out to the doctor's office or Bear's extracurriculars or wherever and have as many books as I could want right at my fingertips.

My laptop

*sigh* A Christmas gift from my best friend last year, my laptop has changed my life. I can write or play stupid Facebook games anywhere in my house. I can catch up on my favorite blogs while nursing Bug to sleep. I can keep all of my stuff filed the way I like it without Husband's and Bear's stuff cramping my style or Bear's Dorito-fingers dusting up my keyboard. If one of my keys is sticking it's because of MY Dorito dust, damn it!

My grey sweater

I am ROCKING that sweater. Yeah...

I got it for $4.99 at the Gap Outlet and I wear it almost every day. It's warm, cozy, and comfortable. It's flattering, but roomy enough to wrap around Bear in a hug when she gets cold in the frozen foods aisle or to provide some privacy (for my comfort, not that of strangers) when I'm nursing in public. Best five bucks I ever spent.




Thin & Crispy Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips

I LOVE salt & vinegar chips, and there are very few brands that I don't like. These are really tasty AND they're less than a dollar a bag. As far as flavor, these are middle of the road, which is good enough for me, considering I can kill a bag in a day. I try not to, of course, but you know...sometimes a girl needs a bag of chips.

OPI nail polish in "Bubblebath"

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I'm not high-maintenance, less out of choice than out of necessity. I'd call myself mid-maintenance at this stage of my life. But I am very particular about my hands and nails. I like them well-kept and neutral and when I'm "between" manicures, I get very antsy and twitchy.

I've been using Bubblebath on them for probably five years and I've never gotten sick of it. And since I do my own nails rather than drop $30 on a manicure every week, I need something forgiving. It's the perfect neutral pink.

My Crock Pot

Given to me brand new by my best friend (noticing a theme here?) because she'd gotten two for her wedding, I have used this thing regularly for almost ten years. I use it to make the chili and soups I love, and also for those days when Bear has an evening activity and we'll be coming home starving. I just start something early in the day and the knowledge that a hot meal is waiting for us keeps us from stopping for fast food. If you do not have a slow-cooker, I highly recommend it. And if you care less about being "green" than you do about convenience, you can even use liners in it to cut down on the cleaning.

Words With Friends

I will dominate you. And I will do so by attempting every conceivable letter combination that gets me to a triple word tile until I discover that 'ptzomls' is a word, especially if that 'z' lands on a triple letter square. My vocabulary is not so much cultivated as it is mostly made up. I play ugly.

Coconut oil

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Pinterest introduced me to the joy of coconut oil. It's moisturizing, you can cook with it (though maybe use separate jars for body and cooking, 'cause eeeeewwww), you can make other beauty products (including diaper rash cream), and it's awesome. Husband even uses it in his feet and he loves it, too. You can find a terrific (but by no means comprehensive) list of possible uses for it HERE and you can get a jar on Vitacost for a great price.


This is of course NOT a comprehensive list. At this point in my life, these are some of the things that make me happy for various reasons. What are some of your favorite things?